Hiring Home Cleaning Services Without Guilt

by Elizabeth Dunn on January 29, 2015

Elizabeth Dunn

About the Author

Elizabeth Dunn is a mother to three children, two with autism and one neurotypical. In her few moments of spare time, she's most likely reading or crafting. Her writing has appeared on Daily Glow, Yahoo Voices, and Everyday Health.

About the Blog

WhatToExpect.com supports Word of Mom as a place to share stories and highlight the many perspectives and experiences of pregnancy and parenting. However, the opinions expressed in this section are those of individual writers and do not reflect the views of Heidi Murkoff of the What to Expect brand.

I have a secret: I am not super mom. I tried to be the mom who kept her kids safe and entertained while keeping a spotless home, but instead, I turned in to the frazzled mom who didn't have time for anything. Between scout meetings, cooking, homework, and cleaning, I barely had time to breathe, let alone enjoy my children or myself. Something had to change, so we decided to hire home cleaning services.

I had always joked that I would love to have a maid, but I felt extremely guilt that I had to ask for help. As a mother, I felt like I had to do everything myself. Even though I was now a work-at-home mother and spent several hours a day working, I still felt like I should have the time to keep my home running smoothly.

But I didn't have the time. I wasn't getting more than five hours of sleep at night, and I was exhausted. There just weren't enough hours in the day to take care of the children, work, and clean. I also worried that no one would be able to clean as well I could, so I figured I would have to clean again when she left.

The plan was for someone to clean while I worked. It was hard, but I locked myself in my office to work. When I emerged several hours later, I found a spotless house. Even better, I had gotten a lot of quality work done.

Once we got into a routine and she learned our home and preferences, I found she could get the same amount of cleaning done in two hours as I could all day. It wasn't because she was faster or better, it was because she was focusing on nothing but cleaning, which made her more efficient. I also found that I could get more work done because I wasn't distracted by the laundry or sweeping the floor.

Hiring home cleaning services doesn't make me less of a mom. I don't have to do it all to be a great mom. I will gladly hand over my Super Mom cape if it means less stress for me and a cleaner home for my family. I get more work done, my house is cleaner, and I get more sleep at night. How could I feel guilty about that?

Have you considered a home cleaning service? Share in the comments below!

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